This story was started in 2007 and I have changed dramatically in my writing. Many thanks to my beta, Joa. Sadly, I wrote this story before I started working with her, so it is unbeta'd and is actually rather... cringe-worthy! Read at your own risk!

All chapters are going to be based off of a Muse song and lyric, because they give me too much inspiration for my writing to go uncredited.

For the complete adult version go to my livejournal. Link is in my profile.

Sense of Elation

Loneliness be over

When will Loneliness be over

Chapter I: Map of the Problematique

Did I have a reason to be a little pissed? Yeah, just not a huge reason. It wasn't like this never happened to me before. Quite the contrary, this happened at least twice a month. What happens, do you ask? Well, me getting dumped! Men!! Why were they ever created! Bastards!

I flipped off a stranger – a man – as I walked down the busy sidewalk of New York, just out of spite. Of course, he flipped me off right back. See what I mean? Men are bastards! (Yes, I realize I deserved that one, but seriously, he had it coming.) I rolled my eyes, pushing my dark hair over my shoulder with my index finger. Today, I guess you could say, was not a good day. But let's not jump the gun, right?

"This isn't going to work, Ashlyn." Ah, that sweet, velvety voice that I had fallen in love with had just spoken words of death to me. This man, one that I had become quite fond of, was Matt Stewart (no relation to Martha, I checked). We had been dating for three weeks, but had been friends for nearly three years prior. Well, there was another name I could scratch off of my friends list.

"And why is that?" I asked. "This seems to happen a lot, and I have no idea what I did wrong." Natalie, my closest friend, would have slapped me upside the head for asking. But honestly, going through four break-ups in the last, oh, three months tended to make one not give a shit.

"It isn't you, Ashlyn-" And there was when I promptly stopped listening. The good old it's not you, it's me excuse was history repeating itself in my ears, and I had heard it enough.

"Well, have a good life, Matt." I scooted out of the restaurant booth, booking it out of there as fast as my short legs could carry me (not fast, by the way). And now, you are caught up, and should understand why I was – in polite words - very, very angry. I looked at another man and snarled. Normally, I would never do such stupid things to strangers, being easily embarrassed was quite the set back. Aah, but the benefits of seeing red. I smiled crookedly as another dream of smacking Matt's perfect face flashed before my eyes.

I managed to keep my temper under control for the rest of the walk back to my small, one bedroom apartment. I lived on the second floor, room 9, at the very end of the hallway. Brilliant spot really, I could hear everything going on in my neighbor's rooms, and one was an especially loud couple. I slipped my key into the lock and gave it a few shakes, unlocking the door within a record time of thirty seconds. Yeah, I'm impressed too!

"Ah, I just got the best news, Ash!" I cringed out of instinct. That voice was an high enough pitch to break glass. Forgive me if I seem like a wimp, but I fear for my eardrums.

"How in the hell did you get in here?" I snapped. My friend, the one previously introduced as Natalie, sat on my couch, stuffing her mouth with some of my potato chips.

"You gave me a key," she replied, unfazed by my harsh tone. "But guess who you are looking at." I rolled my eyes, having also heard this question plenty of times.

"Well, let's see, either Mrs. I'm-moving-to-Hawaii-to-live-with-my-lover, or Mrs. I-really-am-not-anyone-special-but-I-feel-like-playing-a-ridiculous-game-and-this-was-all-I-could-think-of." Normally, one would be offended by my rude, sarcastic attitude. Perhaps that was why men continually threw me aside, I wondered, slamming the door behind me as I walked into the kitchen.

"Actually, Mrs. I-got-my-ass-dumped-again-so-I-have-an-excuse-to-be-a-bitch, I am now Mrs. Connelly." She made some strange high pitched squeal, and I swear on my death, that I heard something in my dish cupboard crack. However, I didn't exactly care about my dishes, she had actually gotten married! No, no, no, that couldn't happen! We were supposed to get married around the same time. Our husbands were supposed to be friends, and our kids were supposed to beat each other up! That day had officially been ruined in the worst possible way.

"What? You're serious!" I (this will probably shock you) screamed in ecstatic joy. And yes, I am over exaggerating. But I was happy for my friend; I'm not that big of a bitch!

"Yeah, just this afternoon!" I ran into the living room, and rather ungracefully jumped onto the couch next to her, wrapping my arms around her neck and squealing like a little high schooler right along with her. "We don't have a ring yet, but he says as soon as we get the money!" I let her go and leaned my back against the armrest.

"That's great! I knew it would happen eventually!" I smiled at her, genuinely happy that she had managed to find Mr. Perfect. I wrinkled my nose in jealousy.

"Yeah, and he said he would move here, instead of making me go to Hawaii!" Her smile wavered, and I instantly knew what her heart truly wanted to do.

"You shouldn't stay here just for me, Nat." I scowled at her. I hated when she acted out of pity for me. I could take care of myself, but no one else seemed to agree with me.

"I'm staying because I already have a good job, my family is here, and Jake had already bought a house. You have nothing to do with it." She stuck her nose in the air and looked away from me and to the television. Well, that shut me up.

"That actually, kinda, hurt." I frowned. I was never one to take people seriously, be it an insult or not, I always chose not to care. But Nat, being as close as we were, had unintentionally hurt my poor feelings.

"Oh, you are such a baby." She laughed at my pout. "You know that you had a little bit to do with it!" I shrugged.

"I try, my friend, I do try." I spoke in a scholarly tone, like one a professor would use on a fifth grader. We sat there for a good hour talking about absolutely everything and nothing. By eight, we had officially decided we were going to have a Family Guy marathon, and instantly Nat reached for her phone and invited her lover boy over.

"I find it funny how you didn't even ask if it was okay." I put my hand to my chin as if analyzing her actions. However, Family Guy – to me – was much more interesting than having a fake argument with her.

"And you don't want me to feel sorry for you?" She rolled her eyes at my pathetic display. "You are a strange woman, Ashlyn Conners, very strange." And so the night went on. Jake arrived a few minutes later; bringing a few cans of beer (I instantly forgave Natalie for not asking me if she could invite him).

"Did you hear that Meg? Guys can marry other guys now. So...this is awkward, but I mean, if they can do that, that is pretty much it for you, isn't it? I mean, you may as well pack it in. Game over." I think I could have coughed up a lung from laughing so hard. Ah, Stewie Griffin, such a silly bitch!

"Well, I think we should probably head out." Natalie yawned as if she needed to put more emphasis on her point. "It's almost one." I looked at the VCR under the TV, and to my surprise, it was actually twelve thirty. Oh, how time flies when you are having fun. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ash. Oh, and I'm sorry that things didn't work out with Matt." I shrugged, standing up as the couple made their way to the door. Nat and I exchanged smiles and Jake, having to maintain his manly reputation, merely nodded his head and stepped out of the room.

"You're lucky, Nat. I'd be lucky if I found someone half as nice as Jake." She blushed, her smile growing a little until her dimples showed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Connelly." Her blush deepened, and with one small wave, she turned and sprinted down the hallway after Jake. They really were a cute couple; even I had to admit that.

Yawning, I turned around and closed the door. There was no way I'd be able to take a shower without falling over, so I decided to go to bed immediately. I walked across the living room and into my small bedroom. The room was nothing spectacular, much like the rest of my house – white walls and poop brown carpet. My full size bed was pushed into the far corner, my dresser at the foot of it. Running a hand through my hair, I walked to my dresser and opened the top drawer. My pj's was only an extra-extra large white t-shirt that reached my knees. I slipped out of my jeans and sweatshirt and slipped on the white shirt. I walked back to the door and flicked the light off before jumping on my bed. Pulling the overstuffed comforter back, I slipped between the sheets, sighing in content.

Unfortunately enough for me, my pleasant slumber lasted only a few measly hours. I had always been an early morning riser, and so when I looked at the alarm clock beside my bed, its glowing red numbers showed eight fifteen. I groaned and rolled onto my side. My shirt, strangely enough, didn't follow my movements. Instead, it twisted around me like a slinky. My brain didn't register the weight on my chest until I actually looked down, and even then I had to take a couple seconds to stare at it, confused at what the hell it was.

"Holy hell," I whispered aloud. There was an arm draped across my chest. My eyes widened in shock as they traveled up the tanned flesh. They passed over a shoulder, neck, until finally they reached a face. Oh god, if it wasn't so weird, I would have drooled all over the place. But, being the normal girl that I was, I screamed and pushed the arm off of me, scooting away until my back hit the head board. My mind finally registered what was happening. There was a man in my bed, and I'll be damned if I had actually agreed to him being there!

For the complete adult version go to my livejournal. Link is in my profile.